Board meeting update

In our board meeting on May 21, we heard from our Sector Commander, Lt. Kathy McAlpine, who gave us information on, and was soliciting opinions regarding where our new police substation should be. If you'd like to weigh in on this issue, please email Lt. McAlpine at kmcalpin@cityoftacoma.org or call (253) 591-5182.

Tacoma School District Superintendent Charlie Milligan was unable to meet with us this month due to a family concern. Instead, we heard from Miguel Villahermosa of Tacoma Public Schools and Kurt Miller, School Board Member.

Villahermosa updated the board on various existing Eastside programs that work to address issues with Eastside students, including the GREAT program, the Gang Steering Committee, and the Pro-Teen Program. He also let us know that a school that would be built to house both Gault and McIlvaigh middle school students would not start to be constructed until year '09 or '10.

Also of specific interest, Board Member Miller let us know that in the future, the school district will work with the City of Tacoma on the marketing and sales of school property. This may have led to a more successful outcome in solicitating community input regarding the sale of Rogers Elementary since the City has the expertise in involving neighbors and concerned citizens via community meetings and public hearings.

However, bear in mind that your Eastside Neighborhood Council is now committed to staying on top of and keeping you informed about any potential Eastside school sales in the future.

Kathleen Merryman, a columnist from the The News Tribune, was at our meeting, and she wrote the following column: Milligan misses a shot to speak - and listen.

In other business, we learned that the $500 we contributed to a consultant for the Alcohol Impact Area we're working to create won't be needed after all. Our sincere thanks goes to the City of Tacoma for deciding to cover the cost of this consultant.

We'll be discussing and deciding upon the Innovative Grants that so many of you applied for in our June meeting.

Be there or be square! :)